Transcribed by Jeff Fenske from:
4/25/2004 – The Difference Between the Two Kingdoms, Greg Boyd
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are two very separate things. One uses the sword (power over) to influence people; the other uses love (power under). To understand this distinction is much easier than letting it affect the way we live. Greg continued to discuss the differences between these kingdoms and how we are to live within the distinction.
“It’s normal for the kingdom of the world to consider the boys in body-bags on our side more important than the boys in body-bags on their side. But from a kingdom of God perspective, we would consider all body-bags to be equally tragic.
The kingdom of the world is always involved in conflict, because it’s a power-over kingdom, and if you’re getting in the way of my power-over we’ll have to go to war over this. And usually in the kingdom of the world you demonize your enemies to rally up power against them.
But in the kingdom of God, we are not allowed to have any enemies. We’re forbidden to have enemies of flesh and blood. The ones who think that they are our enemies, we are commanded to love them, to serve them, to lay down our life for them
While the kingdom of the world is about conflict, the kingdom of God is about reconciliation.”
– Gregory Boyd
Pastor of Woodland Hills church in Minneapolis
Author: “The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church”
Related:
Greg Boyd’s Prayer: Teach us to be free, forgiving even our worst enemy
Video] Greg Boyd on ‘Charlie Rose’: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church